Friday, June 30, 2017

One Flag, One Land was released on the 18th of this month by Indiana-based indie polish maker Different Dimension as the red in a limited edition Americana Trio, a red, white and blue threesome of holographic polishes with names taken from a quote by American physician, poet and polymathOliver Wendell Homes Sr. (1809-94).

One flag, one land, one heart, one hand,One Nation evermore!

Creator Missi describes this polish as a "linear true red holographic polish with added holographic microglitters and larger linear holographic pigment." The color is a quintessential, super clean medium-dark crimson, a radiant, saturated, cool-toned red that's bright enough to register as bold and intense even in low light but deep enough to evoke that classic "red nails" sensibility. Tiny, densely-scattered holographic microglitters read in shades of silver, red, blue and violet within the base and give the polish a glamorous, Old Hollywood twinkle in ambient light. In the sun, there's a brilliant linear prismatic display predominated by a luminescent arc of mixed violet and indigo with a shimmering corona of red and orange, the whole dotted with bright, twinkling sparks in all of the rainbow colors from the holographic microglitters.Application was first-rate. The consistency of One Flag, One Land is fluid and smooth with a medium viscosity and a buttery, self-leveling slip over the nail, a gorgeous, biddable formula that is a pleasure to work with. Pigmentation is excellent. It's almost a one-coater, but use two for fullest, most even bottle color and to maximize the glitter presence and holographic effects. Cleanup is straightforward, with a bit of pigment travel but little to no residual staining. One Flag, One Land dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Topcoat does not interfere with the holographic properties of the polish in any way.Photos show two coats of One Flag, One Land over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Different Dimension One Flag, One Land

Double-plus-good! A beautiful sparkly red, I love it.As I mentioned, One Flag, One Land is a limited edition polish. Additionally, it can only be purchased bundled with the other two Americana polishes and a limited edition cuticle oil pen in a scent called Rockets Red Glare, designed to conjure the cherry/lime/blue raspberry essence of the original Bomb Pop novelty popsicle. It's a sweet, tutti-frutti/cherry-liscious sort of fragrance that seems like it has a kiss of redhot to it as well, but maybe I'm inventing that part. It's really quite pleasant and not overpowering. The price for the bundle is $30 plus shipping, and you can purchase it here. Don't wait too long, though! Once it sells out, it's gone forever.love,Liz

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Like Sunkissed and Someday, Misbehaving was released earlier this month by Nevada-based indie polish maker ILNP as part of the Summer Jellies 2017 collection. This is described as a neon pink holographic polish in ILNP's sheer jelly formula that maximizes light penetration to fire up the holographic components. To my eye, it's a translucent medium-light hot pink with a sweet floral quality and plenty of silvery sparkle in ambient light coming from the holographic flakes within the translucent base. In the sun, the color brightens and takes on a denser look and the holographic flakes explode into a dazzling field of scattered prismatic sparks.Application was lovely. The consistency of Misbehaving is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and an easy, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is quite sheer, but built to a wearable opacity for me in three generous coats. Cleanup frees up an abundance of holographic flakes, most of which will disappear with a good handwashing. Misbehaving dries naturally in good time to a smooth, fairly shiny finish.Photos show three coats of Misbehaving over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

ILNP Misbehaving

This pretty pink strikes me as dainty and floral. It reminds me of pink petunias, especially the ones that have those white throats.

If you'd like to see how Misbehaving compares to some of ILNP's other bright pinks, Edina of the Hungary-based nail blog lakkomlakkom has a side-by-side comparison photo with Paige and Jello Shot in her review of the Summer Jellies 2017 collection, here.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Double Pog Dare You is the last of the polishes that I purchased from KBShimmer's recent All The Bright Moves collection that I have to show you. This is the blue of the 80s/90s-themed series, not actually a neon but bright enough to comfortably share space with its neon stablemates. Officially described as a near-neon "vibrant sky blue," the color is indeed an intense, creamy, medium-toned variation of sky blue along the lines of deep sky blue, also known as Capri. Application was fantastic. The consistency of Double Pog Dare You is fluid and creamy with a medium viscosity and a lush, velvety glide over the nail, definitely a creme-type formula as opposed to some of the other, crellier All The Bright Moves polishes, that self-levels nicely as it sets up. Pigmentation is very good to excellent. It has the feel of a one-coater and possibly could be with the proper mojo and a generous hand. For me, it delivered evenly opaque coverage and full bottle color in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward with a skosh of trace staining to dryer skin. Double Pog Dare You dries naturally in very good time to a beautiful glossy finish.Photos show two coats of Double Pog Dare You over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. A note about the color, which is not entirely true here -- it's a degree or so greener in person, which gives it a weightier look and a bolder, more substantial presence.

KBShimmer Double Pog Dare You

KBShimmer Double Pog Dare You

KBShimmer Double Pog Dare You

KBShimmer Double Pog Dare You

KBShimmer Double Pog Dare You

KBShimmer Double Pog Dare You

KBShimmer Double Pog Dare You

KBShimmer Double Pog Dare You

Not quite a pool blue but still great for a summer pedi! It's generally nicely balanced between azure and cyan, perhaps leaning a tiny bit
more to the former than the latter, and is more saturated and brighter than Carolina blue for all you tarheel fans out there (you know
who you are!).

I had to look up Pogs on Wikipedia and I still feel clueless. Ditto that Double Dare show. But then I was a 60s/70s child. Anyone up for an oil embargo?

love,Liz

ps. I wanted to add that although this did leave significant staining to skin and nails upon removal, a soak with one of KBShimmer's mani shots took it all away. Moisturize well before removal to keep the staining to skin at a minimum!

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Wanderlust was released earlier this month by Nevada-based indie nail polish maker ILNP as part of the Summer 2017 collection. This is a chilly medium fuchsia with steel pink overtones, similar to a sky magenta in tone and depth, with a slightly faded, antique quality in ambient light and a strong semi-metallic aspect. It's packed with silvery holographic elements sized from particles to flakes, giving it a flecked visual texture that somehow seems to add to the color's slightly desaturated sensibility. It also appears to have an abundance of finely-milled metallic shimmers in steel pink that show shifts to gold and even copper at oblique angles. I think that it is at its best in the sun, where the color picks up some saturation and density beneath a dense field of brilliant scattered prismatic sparkle.Application was great! The consistency of Wanderlust is fluid, light and smooth with a viscosity that's a touch thinner than medium and a fluent, effortless, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is sheer, buildable to evenly opaque coverage in three coats for me. Cleanup is straightforward, with some dispersal and stickiness on the part of the holographic flakes. Wanderlust dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish. Photos show three coats of Wanderlust over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

ILNP Wanderlust

I'm kind of on the fence about this polish. As I mentioned, the semi-metallic steel pink aspect mixed with such an abundance of silvery holo bits gives the color a slightly desaturated quality in ambient light that, while flattering and feminine, just feels a little old-fashioned to me, I guess. If it were a lippie, I'd probably be all over it. It is beautiful in the sun, though. The gleaming color deepens and brightens and all of those silvery bits explode into a bazillion tiny prismatic sparks.love,Liz

Monday, June 26, 2017

Diving with Mermaids was released in February this year by Connecticut-based indie polish maker Glisten & Glow as a special collaboration shade with Tiffany of @stunnin.nails on Instagram. Officially described as an oceanic blue linear holo with green shimmers, silver and red holographic glitters and a touch of gold, this is one of those sensous, tapestried holo-based polishes that creator Jill does so very well. The color is a medium-toned variation of azure along the lines of Honolulu blue with aspects of sapphire and steel blue and a slightly washed feel, enriched and dimensionalized on the nail by abundant finely-milled holographic pigment that creates a luminous, on-tone holographic flare in ambient light, lighter in the center and shading to a deeper hue at the sidewalls. Tiny gleaming microflake shimmers in sea green and gold give it a sumptuous visual texture punctuated by bright prismatic sparks from silver and red holographic glitters, which read as blue and pink within the base. Application was great! The consistency of Diving with Mermaids is fluid and dense with components, with a medium viscosity and a lush, self-leveling glide over the nail that has a skosh of component tumbling and a few attempted protrusions over the free edge by the microflake shimmers, easily guided back onto the nail with a tip-wrapping swipe of the brush. Pigmentation is excellent and will provide evenly opaque coverage in one medium to generous coat, although I used two for the photos. Cleanup was surprisingly easy for a polish filled with potentially sticky stuff, with just a little bit of sparkly component dispersal. Diving with Mermaids dries naturally in very good time to a shiny, gently textured finish that is mostly smoothed by a single layer of topcoat. Topcoat does not in any way inhibit the holographic properties of this polish.Photos show two coats of Diving with Mermaids over KBShimmer Love You Strong Time treatment and KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat. I'm afraid my pics do not do justice to what I see in person.

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

Glisten & Glow Diving with Mermaids

This gorgeous blue polish reminds me very much of G&G's Beatboxing in the Bronx in style and structure, with the same lovely artisinal quality and sense of having been carefully composed. I keep coming back to the word "tapestried" to described the richness of these polishes -- they are like luxurious woven taspestries embellished with bits of ornamental shine and sparkle, lush, dimensional and gratifying to the eye in the way fine decorative hand-woven textiles are.

A pleasure to apply and to wear, I'd love to see one in orange or red! xo,Liz